Type-writer.



DE WITT 0. HARRIS. TYPE WRITER.

APPLICATION FILED-MAY 2, 1913.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

Fig.2.

7011 1265563 Jill/612W Patented 0013271191 2 lilac/liar.

DE WITT G. HARRIS.

TYPE WRITER.

APPLICATION rum MAY 2, 1913.

Patented Oct. 27, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEBT 2.

Dew wt C110 DE WITT C. HARRIS.

'I YPE WRITER. APPLICATION TILED HAY 2, 1913.

Patented Oct. 27, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

wit/265.965: JWCZQ1ZL UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IDE WITT C. HARRIS, OF FOND DU LAC, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- -1\[E1\l".|.S, TO HARRIS TYPEWRITER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF FO-ND DU LAC, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

TYPE-WRITER.

Original application filed April 15, 1912, Serial No. 690,756. Divided and this application filed May 2, 1913. Serial No. 764,998.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Dr: \Vn'r C. IIARRIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fond du Lac, in the county of Fond du Lac and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Type- VVriters,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to typewriting machines, and refers more particularly to an improved mechanism for guiding and v brating the ribbon. The vibrating means is operable by the key levers, and it is one of the objects of my invention to provide improved means for converting tie different extents or arcs of movement of the key levers into a uniform vibration of the ribbon.

This application is a. division of my prior application, Serial No. 690,756, filed April 15, 1912.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a type Writing machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail vertical section through the ribbon-guiding means. Fig. 3 is a fragmental vertical transverse section through the machine, illustrating the type bar segment and a portion of the ribbon-guiding and vibrating means in elevation. Fig. 4 is afragmental top plan view of the platen and the ribbon-guiding and vibrating means. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the universal bar comprised in the vibrating means. Fig. 6 is an enlarged horizontal section on line 6-6 of Fig. 3. Figs. 7, 8 and 9 are fragmental detail views illustrating the manner in which the movements of the three lengths of key levers are equalized so as to transmit uniform vibration to the ribbon guide. Fig. 10 is a fragmental view illustrating a stop or buffer device for the key levers.

The machine to which I have herein shown in invention as applied comprises a suitable ramework consisting of a lower or base portion 10 and an upper or deck portion 11. The platen is indicated by the numeral 12. The series of key levers 13 having keys 14 thereon are arranged in three banks or tiers of different lengths. Said key levers are pivoted upon a horizontal shaft 15 which is fixed in a suitable support 16. Each of the key levers 13 is operatively connected with one of the series of type bars 17 through the medium of a bell-crank 18 and links 19 and 20. Coiled springs 21 acting on the key levers tend to maintain the keys H in their uppermost position. The series of type bars 17 are pivotally mounted on an arcuate type bar support or segment 22. each of said type bars carrying three different types. In the present machine this segment is shiftable "erticall in opposite directions in the framework into three different positions in order to carry the different rows of types on the bars into striking position with reference to the platen 12. Any suitable means for supporting and guiding this segment may be provided, that herein shown comprising a bracket 23 suitably secured in the base 10 and having vertical guides 24 (see Fig. 3) at opposite sides thereof arranged to cooperate with guides 25 at opposite. sides of the type segment 22, said guides being complementarily grooved to receive antifriction balls 26. Any preferred means may be employed for shifting the type segment. I have not illustrated said shifting means herein since the present invention does not relate thereto.

The ribbon 27 is wound upon two spools rotatably mounted on the deck 11, only one of said spools being illustrated in the drawings. Adjacent to each of the spools is :1 ribbon guide 29.

The mechanism for guiding and the ribbon will now be described.

lVIounted upon a lug 35 which extends inwardly from the rear portion of the deck 11 Figs. 1 and 2) is an L-shape bracket 36, the horizontal base of which is secured to said lug and the vertical portion of which is bifurcated to form a guideway for a ribbon guide 37. This guide is folded to provide a loop at its upper end through which the ribbon passes. Said ribbon guide has grooves at opposite sides thereof to receive the inner edges of the bifurcated bracket arm, the grooves preferably being formed by bending fingers 38 from the ribbon guide to lie at opposite sides of said bracket arm, as shown most clearly in Fig. 6. The lincfinder 39 is pivotally mounted in upstanding cars 40 upon opposite sides of the bracket 36, said line-finder being pressed rearwardly vibrating Patented Oct. 27, 1914.

against the platen 12 by a torsion spring 41. The center guide 42 for the type bars is fixed to the type bar segment above described.

The means for vibrating the ribbon comprises a universal bar 45 (Figs. 1 and 5) normally resting upon the series of key levers rearward] y of the key lever shaft 15, said universal bar having arms 46 at its ends which are pivoted upon the ends of said key lever shaft 15. Thus when any one of the key levers is depressed, the universal bar 45 will be raised. Attached to the-middle portion of said universal bar is a rearwardly projecting arm 47 carrying an antifriction roller 48 at its rear end. Pivotally mounted upon a bracket 49, which is fixed to a lug 50 upon the base frame 10, is a bell-crank 51 having a cam slot 52 in its vertical arm, which slot receives the rollers 48 upon the arm 47 of the universal bar. The horizontal arm of said bell-crank lever 51 is attached at its end to a vertical link 53 which carries at its upper end the vertically movable ribbon guide 37. The universal bar 45 is yieldably held in its lowermost position or against the series of key-levers by a coiled spring 54 attached at its upper end to said bar and having its lower end secured to a suitable stationary portion in the framework.

In order that the extent of travel or depression of all of the keys may be uniform, I provide a stop device 57 for the key levers 13 (see Fig. 10) comprising in the present instance an open frame Which is attached to the forward guide comb 58, and through which the key levers extend. Said frame comprises an upper bar 59 and a lower bar 60 to each of which is secured a strip of leather or other suitable material 61 and 62 arranged to stop and cushion the upper and lower movements of the key levers. Upon the lower buffer strip 2 is formed a plurality of steps 63 of three different heights, the lowermost steps forming stops for the shortest serics of levers 13, the middle steps for the levers of medium length, and the highest steps for the longest levers. Thus the three series of levers are limited to swing through arcs of different length, but all of the keys 13 have a uniform distance of travel on account of the difference in the length of the levers.

()wing to the fact that the three series of key levers 13 are of difi'erent lengths, and the forward ends of said levers can be depressed only through the same distance, the rear ends of said levers upon which the universal bar 45 rests will move through dif fcrent distances. When one of the shortest key levers is depressed, the universal bar will be raised through its maximum move ment, and when one ofthe longest key levers is operated, the bar will move through its shortest travel. In order that this varying movement of the universal bar may transmit to the ribbon guide 37 a uniform length of reciprocation, the cam slot 52 is so formed that the swinging movement will be imparted to the bell-crank lever 51 during the initial rising movement of roller 48 in said cam slot, the upper portion of said slot being formed in a dwell which extends on the arc of a circle having a radius of a length equal to the distance between the center of the shaft l5 and the roller 48. Thus when one. of the longest key levers is depressed, as in Fig. which results in the shortest move ment of the universal bar 45 and its arm 47, the bell-crank lever 51 will be swung its full movement, and when one of the shortest key levers is operated, (see Fig. 7 the bell-crank lever 51 wil be swung through its full extent during. the initial travel of the roller 48, said bell-c ank being unaffected by the latter portion of the rising movement of said roller. In this way the cam acts to equa ze the movements of the three lengths of Psi-y levers, as .vill be best seen by a comparison of Figs. 7. 8 and 9.. The normal position of the bell-er: nk 51 is indicated in these figures by dotted lines and as is seen the are of movement of the bell-crank is the same in all three of said figures. \Vhen the operator is writing rapidly, the movement of the key levers follow each other in such quick succession that the universal bar 45 will not ha a c time to descend between the movements of said key levers, but will float in a plane I above its normal position. In other words, the rear end of one key lever will be raised into position to support the universal bar before said bar has descended after having been raised by the key lever previously struck. Thus the cam roller 48 is constantly maintained in the dwell portion of the cam slot 52 during rapid writing, with the result that the ribbon guide 37 is held in its uppermost position and does not vibrate. This is an advantage inasmuch as to look at a constantly and rapidly vibrating ribbon is injurious to the eyes of the operator. Furthermore, with this construction the energy which would be necessary to constantly v1- brate the ribbon guide is saved, and wear on the moving parts is lessened inasmuch as the ribbon is raised during the initial portion of the movement of the key levers, the ribbon reaches its highest position and has time to come to rest before the type bar strikes the platen. he result of this is that the type impression is clean and sharply delined. If the ribbon were not quiet at the moment the type struck it, a somewhat blurred impression would be left upon the pa per. The lower portion of the cam slot 52 acts to raise the ribbon into proper position for the typ to strike it. and the dwell portion of said mm slot acts to hold the ribbon steady.

The vibrating means herein shown is advantageous for still another reason when a two-color ribbon is being used. With such a ribbon it is necessary that the vibrating 5, means position the ribbon quite accurately in order to insure that the type will strike on the color field desired and will not accidentally strike on the edge of the other field. While the vibrating means must operate to position the ribbon quite exactly, it is desirable to avoid the necessity for great precisencss in the manufacture of the operating parts, since such preciseness increases cost in the manufacture. I have found that the vibrating means herein disclosed will accurately position the color fields of a multicolor ribbon, and at the same time extreme precision in the manufacture of the parts is not necessary.

I am aware that various modifications will occur to persons skilled in the art and I therefore do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed, but aim to cover all equivalents falling Within the purview of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a front-strike typewriting machine, the combination of a ribbon-guide arranged to reciprocate vertically in front of the platen, a lever pivoted in the lower portion of the machine, a link connecting said lever to said ribbon-guide, said lever having a cam slot therein, a series of key levers, a universal bar positioned to be engaged by said hey levers, and an arm projecting rigidly from said bar and having a stud lying in said cam-slot.

In a. typewriter, in combination, a series of key levers, a universal bar positioned so as to be engaged by said key levers, a bellcrank mounted in the lower portion of the machine and having a horizontal arm and a 3. In a typewriter, in combination, a series of key levers, a universal bar positioned so as to be engaged by said key levers, a bellcrank lever mounted in the lower portion of the machine, and having a horizontal arm and a vertical arm, the latter having a cam-slot therein, an arm rigid with said universal bar and having a projection lying in said cam-slot, a link connected at its lower end t0 said horizontal arm of the bell crank and extending upwardly, and a vertically reciprocating ribbon-guide attached to the upper end of said link.

4. In a typewriter, in combination, a framework, a series of key levers pivoted therein, a pair of arms pivoted concentrically with said key levers, a universal-bar carried by the free ends of said arms and arranged to be engaged by said key levers, an arm projecting rearwardly from and rigid with said universal bar, a bell-crank lever pivoted in the lower portion of the framework and having a horizontal and a vertical arm, the latter being provided with a cam-slot arranged to engage a projection on said rearwardly projecting arm, a link attached to and extending upwardly from the horizontal arm of said bell crank, and a vertically reciprocating ribbon-guide connected to the upper end of said link.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR Gmr, KATHRYN MACK. 

